This is a historic kopitiam / coffee shop that comes straight out of yesteryear, one of few remaining kampung coffee shops in Singapore "398 canteen", named after its address located at 398 Piccadilly near Seletar Camp. The address itself is a throwback to days now long forgotten when the area was part of the Royal Air Force’s RAF Seletar. Hidden in a corner near an army camp is a rundown coffee house, this place is totally like a relic from the 70s, when Singapore still housed a number of kampungs / rural villages. In this age of urban Singapore, this is a rarest sight that not many have seen, especially the younger generations.

398 Canteen's owner, Mr Toh in his early 60s, has been operating out of this shack since late 1960s. In its earlier days, it served drinks and food, snack bites to British army personnel and, later, to the Singapore Armed Forces staff. Now, it serves workers from the nearby Seletar Aerospace Park. It is a real treat to be drinking traditional coffee under the trees to the whine of cicadas and far from the noise of traffic. Coffeeshops are a tradition older than Singapore in this part of Asia. A cup of "kopi-O" was often revitalizing and the drink has even been immortalized in the song of a Chinese TV serial in the past.

When people speak of vintage, they are often referring to the period around the 1940s and 1950s, but it seems there really is no limit to what ‘old’ items can be used to decorate the home and still be classed as vintage. This is one of places for obscure knick-knacks and ornaments. Vintage hunters can find some extraordinary pieces at good prices.

Indian food entrepreneur and antique collector Amit Chillal opens a vintage lifestyle boutique at Orchard Central Mall (the other at Haji Lane) in Singapore that feels like a mini museum chockfull of curios. The Moongi Project's aim is when decorating our homes is to make it feel as though you have traveled backwards in time to a different era. If you are interested in creating a similar effect in your home, here is one of places to help you achieve that! At the Moongi Project, most of the items are worn out or tattered, or even stained, which makes them even more priceless in people's eyes. You will find an eclectic mix of vintage antiques, collectibles and generally interesting objects.

Collecting old things is as inherent to Indian culture as marmite on toast, sheep and alcohol-induced amnesia. The older and dustier the better the find. Furniture, jewellery, even clothes are lovingly polished, darned, restored passed down and hoarded for many generations. For the vintage lovers, this is my nod to sentimentality and nostalgia.

It was a day to step back in time and experience the nostalgia and charm of the bygone days of motoring and transportation in Singapore. Organised in collaboration with the National Heritage Board (NHB), in conjunction with the Motoring Heritage Day 2013, the vintage bicycle display event was held today that took place at the iconic and historic Singapore Tanjong Pagar Railway Station along Keppel Road.

There were pre-war bicycles on display for public viewing, dating back to the 1930's to the 1970's from the Malaysia and Singapore. The exhibition spun the wheels of nostalgia attracting bicycle enthusiasts and the curious alike. The idea is to bring a passion of a few to the awareness of the general public.

The timelessness of cycling is in many ways predicated on the simplicity and elegance of bike designs. The basic design – frame and two wheels – really hasn’t changed since the early 1900s. While materials and components have evolved, the bicycle remains in its essence what it was a century ago.

Want to experience something different this coming weekend? Instead of going to your tried-and-true watering hole, do something new this weekend with a different take on a day / night out. Why not try out a retro moment at one of Singapore’s best retro-themed music cafes? With a variety of music from the 70s and 90s to the time of Elvis and Michael Jackson, there is something for everyone. And along with some of your favorite music that you grew up with, enjoy excellent drink and meal specials. Try going retro with this music cafe in the rustic Kampong Glam area of Singapore.

I love retro things of the past. C.A.N. (stands for Christa & Naomi) cafe located along Beach Road in Singapore is very uniquely decorated in retro style with 70’s wallpaper, furniture, gadgets and antiques. Their great music selection includes great oldies from the 60’s - 70’s including Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, Cliff Richard, Elvis Presley, The Beatles and The Eagles etc. They also play jazz, blues, soul and rock & roll music. Go back in time and experience retro time at the C.A.N cafe. Whether you are nostalgic for the disco days of the 70s or want to experience crimped hair from the 80s, this C.A.N cafe at Beach Road has the ticket.

It’s hard to go wrong with a theme that harkens back to some bygone era. Retro- and vintage-themed designs have a way of tapping into the collective unconscious, building on the cultural archetypes that we have all inherited. They harness power and meaning from outside themselves, relying not on color and composition, but nostalgia and story. It’s from this inbuilt and very personal significance that viewers can look upon a design and call it “Classic.”

I have been exploring all things old in Singapore as well as in other countries. Everything has a story to tell, especially all the old stuff. In a modern society where we are repeatedly fed with half truths such as the need to keep having ‘new’ in our lives – new technology, new gadgets, new vehicles, new everything, I find much comfort in feeling the wood and metal of all things old with my fingertips. It’s through the things of time past that we discover the cultures and strength of the country. Old is not outdated, old is not second grade to new. Old is gold. Without the old, there won’t be the new anyway. And remember, the old were once new too.

There are a vast number of definitions of vintage making the category a little open to interpretation. For many years, the term vintage has been referred to as items that are at least 20 years old. On the contrary, many view vintage as age irrelevant, and rather more about the label and timelessness of the piece. Retro and antiques can sometimes be categorised as “vintage”. However i believe they are a class of their own and i will cover these stores over time.

Special thanks to the two Oddyssey - odds & whatsnot (located at 6 Harper Road Unit 03-03) owners for giving me this opportunity to photograph their place and for sharing their life-long love story of vintage stuff that led them to collect pieces from a young age. I understand that each collection has a story – that it’s not all about monetary value and investment returns. Collectors tell us stories about how they came to own an item, how they share their hobby and the time they spend protecting what they deem worth preserving. To me, this is what’s really at the heart of collecting and i want my blog to highlight these types of stories while offering a variety of insightful perspectives to my readers.

For those who are not aware, one of the owners of Oddyssey - odds & whatsnot is a local film-maker, Victric Thng, who is also one of co-directors (together with Royston Tan and Eva Tang) for two local popular documentaries "Old Places" and "Old Romances" that capture disappearing memories in fast-changing Singapore, setting the trend for nostalgia.

The Lego bricks play a huge part of my childhood and i have always love them - growing up playing with them and i still remember those immense victory i felt as a kid whenever i managed to complete a Lego model or at other times even when it's just simply playing around with those loose bricks and building anything out of them stimulating the creative side of me. A Lego based theme park definitely entices me.

Legoland unleashed the kid part of me. For those who think Legoland is being built for children's enjoyment alone, well, one must visit this theme park and you'll realize its meant for adults too. All angles of this happy land are full of colors, lego bricks, fun and smile for everyone. I've been planning for so long to visit this place since it was opened last year, finally these plans came to life. Special thanks for this splendid birthday gift (September is my birthday month) from a long-time friend who also came with me on this awesome adventure to Legoland. Such a lifetime and memorable experience.

Legoland@Malaysia is certainly is one of the latest sensation among the locals and undeniably attracting a large number of visitors from neighbouring Singapore as well. I was really excited when i first found out about the project about 2-3 years ago, more so after learning that this first ever Legoland in Asia is build near Singapore, thus making it super convenient for visits. This is the 6th Legoland in the whole wide world and the first and only one in Asia.